Civil engineers are problem solvers.
However, the biggest pitfall that civil engineers face during the problem-solving process is working within self-imposed constraints. To inspire a-ha moments, they must disrupt conventional ways of thinking and take on a more human-centered approach.
In this episode of the ASCE Interchange, Brent Darnell, owner and president of Brent Darnell International and an emotional intelligence expert, discusses how design thinking can...
You may be thinking, or have already decided, to take the management track.
But how do you get there and what kinds of skills do you need to succeed?
As more young civil engineers enter the workforce, the demand for versatile managers increases as well. Soft skills are as important as technical skills when navigating management duties within your company.
According to Wonderlic, 93 percent of employers...
Engineers have a great story to tell.
For centuries, civil engineers have constructed their legacies in the form of remarkable infrastructure that has shaped history and continues to influence the future. Civil engineers are essential to society, but as a profession, their narratives remain largely untold.
In this episode of the ASCE Interchange, Robert Deigh, principal of RDC Public Relations LLC and author of Spark: The...
Americans seem to understand that our nation has an infrastructure problem, and ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card and related advocacy efforts are paying off. Not only does there seem to be a greater understanding about the concerning state of our country’s aging infrastructure, but public opinion polling shows that a significant number of Americans – 87 percent in one recent poll – agree the federal...
Could you imagine a world without transportation?
Probably not.
That’s because the built world we live in wouldn’t be possible without it.
According to ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, U.S. roads carried people and goods over 3 trillion miles in 2016 alone – or more than 300 round-trips between Earth and Pluto.
As our population grows, the need for pioneering solutions does too. Today, we’re amid exciting times...
Who do you picture when you think of a civil engineer? Did you picture a woman in the profession?
Studies show that only 14 percent of the civil engineering workforce is composed of women. About 40 percent of women who have engineering degrees never enter the workforce or drop out.
Actions speak louder than words. We’ve all heard that expression at one point, but what does it mean?
Studies suggest that 80 to 95 percent of one-on-one communication is nonverbal. Around 38 percent comes from tone of voice and 55 percent comes from body language. And the rest? Only 7 percent of communication comes from what we say. What we don’t say is just as...
Ethics lie at the core of all engineering decisions. And the decisions made by civil engineers can affect millions of people.
Despite the importance of ethics, many questions remain about ethical issues pertaining to sustainability, billable hours, and how to voice ethical concerns to a superior.
“You can always find another job, but you can’t build another career,” said Steve Starrett, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, F.EWRI,...
For many entrepreneurial engineers, failure is part of the business. Forbes estimates that 90 percent of startups fail, many of them before the business even has the chance to fully launch. While failure before success often comes with the building of oneself as an entrepreneur, smart engineering entrepreneurs have used business accelerators to help get their ideas off the ground.
In this edition of ASCE...
Now more than ever, our power infrastructure is at risk. Significant power outages have risen from 76 in 2007 to 307 in 2011 largely due to aging and underfunded infrastructure equipment and systems.
ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure in 2013 gave the United States a D+ in energy due to the nation’s reliance on an aging electrical grid and pipeline distribution system, some of...
